Marijuana: Recreational Drug or Natural Health Miracle?

by Kevin Genovario

Last month, New Jersey passed a bill allowing chronically ill patients to alleviate their pain legally by smoking marijuana. If anything, New Jersey is beginning to show some common sense.

There is an extensive list of health benefits of taking marijuana. A recent study done by The Scripps Research Institute shows that THC, the chemical responsible for marijuana's "high," can help slow the process of Alzheimer's disease. Other studies show that THC is an effective treatment for nausea, beneficial for patients such as those undergoing chemotherapy. Marijuana also acts as a pain reliever and is often used by patients with multiple sclerosis and glaucoma. Additionally, as Hunter Johnson, 21, points out, when you take Marijuana, "you sleep good, have a good appetite."

Any negative impact of the drug comes from the actual smoke, not the cannabis that produces the benefits. But even the smoke has an advantage. The delivery of marijuana through smoke makes the effects felt by patients within minutes, which is ideal for the treatment of pain or nausea. But smoking marijuana isn't the only way of ingesting it.

There are now six medical marijuana dispensaries in New Jersey for those who qualify for medical marijuana. The dispensaries give patients the option to bake the medical marijuana into food such as breads or cakes or even blend it into fruit smoothies. If they don't wish to prepare the foods themselves, restaurant-quality baked goods, candies, and other items are available at the dispensaries. Finally, many patients prefer to vaporize their medical marijuana. This method involves heating the drug without burning it and inhaling its vapors.

Mercer student Jane Senor, 23, describes such benefits regarding a multiple sclerosis patient. She says, "My friend's father has multiple sclerosis. He legally uses marijuana to make him feel better, but he doesn't have to smoke it. He puts it in his tea. Before taking marijuana, he was prescribed Percocets, but he hated it because it didn't make him feel right and he still couldn't walk. He had to ride one of those scooters. After taking marijuana he can now get around normally and it really impacted his life."

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April 26, 2010

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